By admin 
Connor Zilisch cannot catch a break. The rookie entered the 2026 season with his hype sky-high. The 19-year-old for Trackhouse Racing nearly won the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Championship in 2025. He now races in the No. 88 in the Cup Series, where he was a victim of an incident on lap 1 at Chicagoland Speedway.
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Zilisch began the race in 21st place. As the cars took the green flag, the field rounded the first turns and onto the backstretch. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. would be the first name of note in the incident. Stenhouse Jr. got pinched by John Hunter Nemechek, triggering the cars behind to be caught in a chain reaction. The victims were Ryan Preece and Zilisch.
An early collision at Chicagoland
Connor Zilisch is forced to end his run after the wreck pic.twitter.com/cpDJldzphn
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) July 5, 2026
Zilisch’s car suffered extensive damage. “We’re destroyed. I am sorry, guys. Oh my, can’t get anything to go for me,” Zilisch commented over his radio in frustration.
In the last 7 races, the No. 88 car has been involved in an incident 5 times, including at Chicagoland Speedway. He has only one top-20 finish in points races since Texas Motor Speedway (May 3). Zilisch is 34th in the driver standings, worse than every full-time driver outside of Cody Ware.
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Fallout of Zilisch’s Issues
Despite continued problems, Zilisch is expected to remain with Trackhouse Racing beyond this season. His current deal is said to run through 2027. The skill is very clearly there with Zilisch, as he narrowly lost the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Championship to Jesse Love in 2025. At last week’s race at Sonoma Raceway, Zilisch proved strength with a 7th-place finish.
Trackhouse Racing has generally struggled. Ross Chastain, who formerly qualified for the final four of the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs, is 22nd in the driver standings through Sonoma. Shane van Gisbergen is in 14th, largely due to his road-course dominance, which includes 2 race wins in 2026.
Zilisch is listed OUT for the remainder of the race at Chicagoland. He will now look forward to next week’s race on Sunday, July 12, at EchoPark (Atlanta) Speedway.
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This story was originally published July 5, 2026 at 3:52 PM.